It’s an interesting fact, I don’t know whether you’ve considered it, but in the human head there are seven natural openings. And they all go in pairs until you come to the last one. And they go also in descending order. Approximately the same level you have a pair of ears and a pair of eyes. That makes four openings. A little further down you have two nostrils, that makes six. You’re left with one more opening which is all on its own, and that’s your mouth. I suppose no one would ask for two mouths. Most of us have more than enough problems with just one. I’m sure there are many deep and wonderful truths in those simple facts that I’ve related to you.

If you were to go to the scripture and make a systematic and complete study of all it has to say about the tongue and the things that are related to the tongue, that is the lips, the mouth, words and speech, it would take you many, many hours. You can look at any reliable concordance under any of those headings; words, lips, tongue, mouth, speech, and there is page after page of references to the Bible. In fact, I don’t suppose there’s any single subject that occupies more space in the scripture than that which relates to the use of our tongue and our mouth.

God created man with a faculty of speech. And let people say what they will, but I don’t believe there’s any reasonable way of explaining how an animal that’s not capable of speech will ever be able to speak in the sense in which we speak. For me, even before I became a Christian, this was a clear, well established line of division between man and all lower animals. I’ve never heard any rational, sensible, convincing explanation of how an animal that couldn’t speak could ever develop into an animal that could speak. And I believe when God gave man the ability to speak intelligently, consecutively in sentences and concepts and so on, it was part of what was included in the statement that God made man in his own image and in his own likeness. And when God committed to man the power to speak, in essence, he committed to him his own authority and creative ability. Because it was by God’s word that all creation were brought into being. If you want one scripture for that, Psalm 33:6:

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (KJV)

And Hebrews 11:3:

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (KJV)

There is no greater power committed to any of us with greater implications for good or evil than the power of speech. And therefore, it is only reasonable that we take some time and pay some attention to the way we use this power.

Let’s consider, first of all, some general warnings and instructions of the scripture and I will start in the book of Psalms. Psalm 34:11–13. If you have a Bible you’ll probably find it helpful to follow through. I’ve got quite a considerable number of scriptures to give you.

“Come ye children, hearken unto me: [and I believe it is God speaking to his children by the Holy Spirit] I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?” (KJV)

Do you want a long life and a good life? It’s one thing to have a long life, it’s another thing to have a long life and enjoy it. I’ve dealt with many, many people that had a long life and it was mainly misery. But God says that he, through the fear of the Lord, will teach us how to have a long life and enjoy it. “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?” And the main part of the teaching is in the next verse.

“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” (KJV)

The greatest hindrance to a good life is the misuse of the tongue.

We turn onto the book of Proverbs and there must be several hundred references in Proverbs to the use of the tongue and the lips. I’ve just chosen a few. Proverbs 13:3:

“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life; but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” (KJV)

So what you do with your mouth decides the course of your life. If you want to preserve your life you have to watch over your mouth. Proverbs 15:4:

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” (KJV)

Where the King James Version says a wholesome tongue, the literal Hebrew says the healing of the tongue which shows clearly that the tongue needs to be healed. And the tongue of every unregenerate man without exception needs to be healed. And the healing of the tongue is a tree of life. Now the tree of life carries both fruit and leaves. The fruit are for food, the leaves are for medicine. That you’ll find both in the Old Testament in Ezekiel and in the New Testament in the Book of Revelation. And the scripture teaches very clearly that there is a fruit of the tongue. And we eat what we produce with our tongue. The kind of fruit our tongue brings forth is what we feed on ourselves. Then it says in the second half of that verse: “perverseness in the tongue is a breach in the spirit.” Breach in modern English, a leak. A lot of people have leaky spirits. They get blessed in the meetings, filled with the Spirit of God, and before they even get home they’re no longer full. They leaked out. Which way did they leak? Through the tongue. An uncontrolled, undisciplined tongue is a leak in your spiritual life. No matter how often you get filled you’ll never stay full if you can’t stop that leaky tongue of yours.

Proverbs 18:21:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue...” (KJV)

The tongue controls both death and life. And notice it puts death first because before regeneration the tongue of the unregenerate man is a death dealing weapon.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
(KJV)

There is a fruit of the tongue and you eat it. And Proverbs 21:23:

“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” (KJV)

If your soul has got into trouble, the reason is you didn’t keep your mouth and tongue because if you do keep your mouth and your tongue, you keep your soul from troubles.

We’ll move on to the Song of Solomon which I believe, and many commentators believe contains in it a picture of the bride of Christ, the church. And in the 4th chapter there’s a very beautiful, wonderful description of the bride as the Lord sees her and as the Lord desires her to be, and intends to make her. And there are two references there to the speech of the bride. Song of Solomon 4:3:

“Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely.... (KJV)

The thread of scarlet speaks of redemption. The lips of the bride have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. They’re pure and comely. And that’s how her speech is. And in the 11th verse of the same:

“Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue...” (KJV)

So her tongue brings forth that which is beautiful, attractive.

Matthew 12, and this is one of the most searching chapters of the New Testament. I’ve recently become particularly interested in this chapter. It has so much in it, but there’s part of what Jesus says here is about the tongue. Matthew 12:33–37. You’ll notice we talk again about the tree and its fruit.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (KJV)

The heart is the tree, the mouth is the fruit of the tree. The tree is known by its fruit. What comes out of your mouth is the indication of what’s in your heart. And Jesus then goes on to apply this very specifically to our words, verse 35:

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (KJV)

See? There’s no in between. It’s either good or evil. And it’s either good all the way or evil all the way. A good man out of the good treasure bringeth forth good things, three times good. An evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things, three times evil. It’s the same stream all the way through, it cannot change. Verse 36:

“But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (KJV)

Ultimately the destiny of our soul is settled by our words. And every idle word that we speak we must give account of. So many times when people say something wrong or foolish, they say, “Well, I didn’t really mean it,” as though that covered it. But it doesn’t. Because words you don’t mean are idle words. An idle word is any word that you’re not prepared to back up and stand by and go through with. And Jesus said every idle word that we speak we shall give account thereof. Do you know what I’ve noticed? I’m sure this is one of God’s problems. He’s never actually shared it with me but I do believe so. People who don’t mean what they say don’t believe that God means what he says. But he does. Don’t judge God and his words by the way that you use words. God never uses idle words. Every word that God says he stands behind. And God says let your words be like that. Don’t use idle words. If you do, you’re going to have to give an account of them.

We’ll move on to Colossians 4, taking one scripture from Colossians, there are many, many passages in the epistles of Paul that deal with tongue, speech... Colossians 4:6:

“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (KJV)

Salt makes things appetizing, attractive. Paul says to Christians, let your speech be appetizing, attractive. So speak that people want what you’ve got.

And then we’ll go to James which is probably the epistle of the New Testament that deals most thoroughly and most searchingly with the tongue. We’ll just look at two passages. James 1:26:

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man’s religion is vain.” (KJV)

I don’t want in any way to be negative or appear to be critical, but as far as I’m concerned, that writes off with one stroke of the pen seventy-five percent of religion practiced in the United States at this time. The people who practice it don’t control their tongues. The Bible says if you don’t control your tongue, your religion is vain. Then James goes further into it in chapter 3 beginning in verse 2 and going on through verse 10. Now there’s a great deal in this but I’m only going to read it and just lightly touch upon it.

“For in many things we offend all. [I am so glad that the apostle James had to include himself at that point. That gives me hope and encouragement. Now] if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, [mature, complete] and able also to bridle the whole body.” (KJV)

If you can control your tongue there is no member of your body that you cannot control. You are in control when you can control your tongue. If you want to know how much self control you have, you can probably measure it pretty accurately by checking on how much you control your tongue.

“Behold we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.(KJV)

What’s in the mouth directs the course of the whole body, that’s the essence of that verse.

“Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, [or rudder] wherever the steersman desires [to put it in a little bit more modern English.]”

The tongue is like that. The tongue is the rudder of your life. The use of the rudder decides the destiny of the ship. And the use of the tongue decides the course of your life. Use the rudder aright, you’ll come safe into port. Misuse the rudder and you’ll make a wreck. That’s what the tongue is. It’s your rudder. And the power in your life that controls your tongue controls the course of your life.

“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things [it’s got a lot to say] Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (KJV)

Just one little match can start a fire that will consume a multi-million dollar building. And the human tongue starts fires that burn down homes, churches, communities and nations. Just that one little fire. Verse 6:

“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (KJV)

And the word for hell there is Gehenna, the lake of fire. The tongue defiles the course of the whole body. You cannot have a clean body if you have a dirty tongue. I was a medical orderly, or what you’d call a hospital attendant for five and a half years in the British Army. At one time in the North African desert I was in charge of a small reception station right out in the desert for dysentery patients. That wasn’t a pleasant job by any means. There was practically no water. I won’t go into the details. But I used to go around every morning with the medical officer, the doctor, who was a Scot. And rather a clever man. And I noticed he invariably addressed the same two remarks to every patient regardless of who they were or anything else about them. He said, “Good morning, how are you?” And he never bothered to listen to that. The next thing he said was, “Show me your tongue.” And that’s what he went by. And I think God treats you and me the same. He’s not impressed by our religious profession, he just says show me your tongue. I’ll judge the state of your body when I see your tongue. And he was a very clever doctor.

We’ll finish reading James 3:

“For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame...” (KJV)

I remember as an unbeliever, a skeptic, a philosopher, that someone quoted that little part of a verse of the Bible to me and I said immediately to myself, “That is the truth.” I didn’t know the Bible had got anything so sensible as that to say. And it just stayed with me. The tongue can no man tame. That says it. Are you going to disagree with that? Stand up please if you don’t agree. “Brother Prince, I always control my tongue, I have no problem, James was wrong. I’m the evidence.” Let’s see you here tonight if you’re here. All right. I never have had anybody argue with James about that.

“The tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison...” (KJV)

And where it says deadly, that word has rather lost its meaning in modern English. But it means death dealing poison. It brings death.

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; [these are religious people, please notice that] and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, [my Christian brethren] these things ought not so to be.”(KJV)

Don’t deceive yourself. James was not writing to unchurched people, he was writing to professing, Spirit baptized Christians because they didn’t have any other kind in the church in those days.

All right. Now let’s take a moment or two to consider some of the specific problems that we find in dealing with the tongue. Without going into too much detail I think I’ll put them up so you can follow them with the eye as well. I have ended up with seven, those of you who know me know that somehow it usually ends up that way in my outlines. I didn’t try, it just stopped when I got to seven.

Problem number one is excessive talking. Did you know that was a problem? One thing I have to observe, I learned quite a number of languages which have genders. I’m probably familiar with about a dozen languages and in every language which has genders, the tongue is always in the feminine gender. It’s an unvarying fact. You can check on it in any language you like, if you find that there’s a different language, I’d be interested to know. Let’s look at two scriptures. In Proverbs 10:19:

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin...” (KJV)

Or there lacketh not sin. You cannot speak too much without saying the wrong thing.

“...but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” (KJV)

And Ecclesiastes 5:3, this is a very sharp verse. I am so happy that I have no particular person or even group in mind.

“For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.” (KJV)

So if you hear a person talking all the time, they’re telling you what they are. A fool’s voice is known by the multitude of words. And in the multitude of words there wantest not sin. You just cannot afford to keep on talking all the time.

Furthermore, bear in mind as Jesus said, and we’ll come back to later, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A restless tongue denotes a restless heart. A person who can never keep quiet is not at rest no matter how much they may talk about peace and joy, and speaking in tongues and all these things. They just advertise their inner disquiet by what is running out of their mouth all the time.

Then there’s idle words. We’ve already mentioned that so we’ll just put them up. There are two scriptures there. The one in Matthew 12:36 we’ve already looked at. “Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof.” The other is on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:37.

“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”(KJV)

But really the correct translation is cometh of the evil one. Comes from the devil. It’s a very, very hard saying but it’s the truth. When you mean yes, say yes. And when you mean no, say no and stop. That’s all you have to say.

The history of the English language, even in my lifetime, is a long history of words whose meaning has been lost by misuse. Think of words like fantastic. It doesn’t mean anything today. People wanted to use a word that was strong, that would impress people, but you don’t impress people by using words like that. You know what impresses people? Just saying what you mean. That is impressive. And Jesus says, just say that and stop. Overemphasis quickly loses its effect.

We had a subject for English years back when I was at Eton College. It was, “What is the Essence of Vulgarity in Literature.” I don’t mean obscenity because that was before the days when adult meant obscene, which is what it means today. And we had an interesting discussion in our English class about this. And somebody came up with an answer that has always remained in my mind. He quoted some passage from some play of Shakespeare about a certain man and he said, “Methinks the fellow doth protest too much.” Vulgarity is saying too much. It’s overdoing it, overemphasizing it. It’s using too many adjectives, too many colors in the painting. And that’s just what Jesus was warning us against. He said when you mean to say yea, say yea. And when you mean to say nay, say nay. And when you meet a person like that, let me tell you one thing. You listen to what they have to say.

The next is gossip. Now I really do not joke about gossip. Because I think it’s a terrible thing. And I think it’s a reproach to the feminine sex. Now I know men can gossip too. But basically as Brother Baxter said when preaching about the man/woman family relationship, he said, “Gossip is a woman’s occupational hazard.” And I see his point. A woman, in ordinary society has far more temptation and opportunity to gossip than a man. I’m not saying men don’t gossip because I know for sure they do. But anyhow, let’s see what the Bible says. Leviticus 19:16.

“Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour...” (KJV)

Which is very closely related. Don’t be a witness against your neighbor. Don’t spread stories about your neighbor. They may not be true, and even if they are true, it probably isn’t your business to carry them around. A talebearer is as its word indicates one who carries stories around about other people.

Let us look at a few other scriptures on that quickly. Proverbs again. You’ll find we always come back to Proverbs. Proverbs 18:8:

“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”
(KJV)

Did you know that it’s possible to kill somebody with words? I mean, literally kill them. I know ministers in the past who died under the reproach and shame and wounding of malicious tongues.

Jeremiah 18:18, Jeremiah’s enemies said:

“Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.” (KJV)

And many, many servants of God die smitten with the tongue. Terrible responsibility.

Proverbs 20:19:

“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”(KJV)

Would you notice that? The talebearer will usually come and treat you as the exception. “Now I wouldn’t say this to anybody else, but I know I can trust you not to repeat it. And you know I wouldn’t say it” and so on and so forth. And they will flatter you to make you receptive to the little piece of poison they want to inject. So beware of him that flattereth with his lips. We’ll come back to flattery later on.

Proverbs 26:20:

“Where no wood is, there is the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”
(KJV)

A fire has got to have something to burn and strife has got to have something to burn too. And what keeps strife burning is the talebearer’s material that is carried around from home to home and person to person. So if there’s strife, somewhere behind that strife is a talebearer.

1Timothy 5:13 is a New Testament reference. We’ll only take the verse, we should really look into the context, but we’re going very quickly through this subject just by way of introduction to it. 1Timothy 5:13:

“And withal they learn to be idle, [this is spoken about women in the church] wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.” (KJV)

I suppose everyone of us who has been in any kind of Christian community can think immediately of people like that.

1Peter 4:15, let me just give you this too while we’re about it.

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” (KJV)

Isn’t it remarkable where the busybody is listed in that verse. See what you’re in company with? A murderer, thief and an evildoer. Now most religious people would be horrified to be classified as murderers, thieves or evildoers. But many of them are busybodies. Personally I will tell you this: I detest busybodies. As a minister and a pastor, I’ve been through this situation where everybody wanted to run everybody else’s life. And it’s misery. I always think of the lady in our congregation in London who had one geranium and my wife had three. And she just couldn’t rest because my wife had two more geraniums than she had. And I said to myself, “God, if I ever get out of this situation, I’m never going to let myself get back into it again.” And I just will not be under the heel of busybodies. On the mission field, about once every six months we had some self appointed inspector who came around to see how we were doing. If you’ve never been a missionary you wouldn’t understand this. I learned to show them the door. Well, we’ve got to go on.

Number four, lying. We’ll look at a few scriptures starting again in the book of Proverbs. You’ll be able to find the book of Proverbs by the end of this message. Proverbs 6:16–19:

“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...” (KJV)

Now there’s seven things listed that the Lord hates to the point of being an abomination. And it’s worth looking at them. Number one, a proud look. Number two, a lying tongue. Number three, hands that shed innocent blood. Number four, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. Number five, feet that be swift in running to mischief. Number six, a false witness that speaketh lies. And number seven, he that soweth discord among brethren. And actually out of those seven things, three relate to the tongue. And they are all hateful to God. Lying tongue, false witness, and sowing discord among brethren.

And then in Proverbs 12:22 we have the scripture:

“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord...” (KJV)

The word abomination is the strongest word that can be used, I think, to describe something that is displeasing to God.

“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight.” (KJV)

And then we turn to the New Testament, John 8:44. These are the words of Jesus to the religious leaders of his day. It should make us pause. He wasn’t talking to unbelievers or unreligious people. He said:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (KJV)

The devil is the father of lies. Every time we take a lie in our lips, we’re taking something that comes from the devil.

And then just one more series of scriptures on lying, the book of Revelation has three warnings in the last two chapters of the Bible. The dangers of lying. Revelation 21:8:

“The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (KJV)

All liars are headed for the lake of fire. I don’t want to give too much application to this, but there are many Christian liars, let’s be honest about that fact. And I’m not the judge, but I just wonder what’s going to happen to them in the last days. I really do. And some of them are preachers. I have to be very careful what I say but I followed in a certain city, which will be absolutely nameless, a certain preacher who had been preaching in that church where I was preaching for several weeks. And gathered very large crowds. The pastor, who is a godly man and who is a friend of mine, and whose opinion I respect said to me privately later, “Brother Prince, I simply could not understand it. There are things I cannot explain but I heard that man night after night say things which I knew for sure were flat direct lies.” And really that is a kind of a problem. It’s God’s problem in the last resort. Aren’t you glad that you’re not the judge. I certainly am, but I don’t want to turn away from the word of God. The Bible says all liars will end in the lake of fire. Do you know what I believe that means? I believe it means just what it says. Charismatic liars, non Charismatic liars. They’re just liars. Now there’s always repentance for every one that will turn back to God.

Revelation 21:27, speaking about the New Jerusalem, the holy city:

“And there shall no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (KJV)

Nothing that makes a lie will ever get inside the New Jerusalem. And Revelation 22:15, speaking again about this same place:

“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (KJV)

That’s a clear as anything can be.

We take the next problem that we deal with which is flattery. We’ve touched on that but we’ll take just a few more scriptures about flattery. I don’t think most people appreciate how dangerous flattery is and how unacceptable to God. As a preacher, I feel that from time to time I am flattered. Not that I just get appreciative remarks, but that people lay it on. And I’ve learned to be on my guard very, very much so. Now I appreciate genuine gratitude and expressions of appreciations, but many, many preachers have been ensnared by flattery. I could specifically name men who were so flattered that they allowed themselves to be captivated by their flatterers and lost their ministry because they were just taken over. Let’s look at what the scripture says. Psalm 12. For every one of these scriptures that I am giving you there are probably twenty that I don’t. Psalm 12:1–3:

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